Here We Go Again
by do-U-know-where-your-towel-is
Summary: The Marauders begin their third year at Hogwarts. Sirius gets a date, Remus is jealous, Malfoy has a strange locket, James is REALLY that daft and Peter is REALLY that scared.  Here we go again.  J/L, S/R.  Sequel to 'Every Dog Has It's Day'.
1. What You Do When You're Bored

**First chapter to the sequel! Few things you need to know: Moony and Sirius are NOT together, they never got together. They spent all of second year dancing around each other, not saying anything. Yeah, stinks, I know. You tell them that.**

**Second chapter coming soon enough. Please, please please PLEASE review. If I get enough reviews, I'll update more often. Though, as a default, check back every Friday, that's when I usually update.  
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**Also, in case you didn't notice, the first four lines of this is a blatant Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ripoff. I give Douglas Adams full credit.**

Remus Lupin was bored.

Really, _really_ bored.

There really were no words to describe how hugely, vastly_ bored_ he was.

I mean, you may think you're bored on long rainy days when the power is out, but that's nothing on how bored Remus was right now.

He sat in his room with the lights down, throwing his tennis ball at the wall and catching it when it bounced back. _Thud... Thud... Thud..._ He looked at the clock, he looked at his Hogwarts letter. _Thud... Thud... Thud..._

Ten more days.

_Thud... Thud... Thud.._.

Tossing the ball onto his pillow, he wandered to his trunk and opened it. He rifled through his things, checking and rechecking, folding and unfolding. He organized his books first by size, then in alphabetical order. Then he messed everything up and did it all over again.

He reached over to his nightstand and picked up a photograph. There was him, in the middle, with a tousle-haired, bespectacled boy to his left and a shaggy, unkempt one to his right. In front of him was a chubby, shy-looking, freckle-faced child with a lousy haircut and a smudge on his chin. The four children in the picture were all clambering over each other, waving at him, grinning like the maniacs they were.

Remus snorted as portrait-James gave portrait-Sirius a good shove. Portrait-Sirius fell out of the frame with a light 'Oof!'.

"Behave yourselves!" Remus snapped at them. His portrait counterpart nodded, took James by the ear and gave him a good telling-to.

Remus sniggered. It was like being God.

He set the picture down and plopped onto his bed. He looked up at the ceiling and smiled. Only ten days left.

The Marauders were starting their third year at Hogwarts.


	2. Can Nobody Read the Sign?

**Second Chapter! Wheee! Please, R&R, and enjoy! Constructive criticism welcome. In this installment, I introduce my very own OC. Feel free to hate on her, she deserves it. And don't worry, she's NOT going to be one of those Mary-Sues. Bear with me, her character will improve.**

**PS: Big thank you to ImSiriuslyLupin4you for beta-ing this story. Sorry, I forgot to give you credit sooner.  
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"JAAAAAMES!"

"SIRIUUUUS!"

_Crash, bang, clatter_. James flew past Remus, knocking his trunks over. One of them opened up and spilled his underwear everywhere.

_Sigh_.

James rugby-tackled Sirius and they fell heavily to the floor. Sirius rolled and pinned James to the floor. Peter joined in exuberantly, sitting heavily on the both of them. James and Sirius cried out.

"Ack!"

"Gerrof!"

Peter giggled.

Remus sat on an overturned suitcase and watched the two of them wiggle helplessly from underneath Peter's large rear end. People on the crowded train station turned their heads as they walked by. After all, there were three kids in a scrum on the floor who were wearing flamboyant red and gold clothing and sporting caged owls on their luggage carts.

Remus waved at a Muggle who was staring at him suspiciously, and turned to Sirius.

"Hello?" he asked, leaning over to look him in the face.

"Hi." Sirius grinned weakly from the bottom of the pile.

They slipped unseen through the barrier in the brick wall and onto the crowded platform. Remus inhaled deeply and sighed, listening to the chatter. It smelled like smoke and magic. They dragged their luggage onto the train went to the back to the compartment they had sat in for the past two years. This year, however, there was a trio of unsuspecting first years sitting mutely on their hands. James took one look at them, turned a ferocious red, and blew up.

"OUT! GET OUT! _NOOOW_!"

They tripped over their own feet in their haste to leave. One of them was actually crying.

"James! Be nice to the first years." Remus scolded, shoving his trunk onto the luggage rack.

"This is _our_ compartment." Sirius stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"And how are they supposed to know that? It's not like there's a sign or anything." Peter piped up as he unwrapped one of those yard-long chocolate bars and began to stuff his face.

"There should be." James grumbled, then took out his wand and began writing on the door in fiery letters.

_THIS COMPARTMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF JAMES POTTER_

"Really, James? That'll be removed soon enough." Remus remarked.

"Let 'em try." James muttered smugly.

The compartment door slammed open, and it was as though time stood still.

A tall, fourth year girl pranced in, holding on tightly to a backpack. She paused for a moment and let her presence sink in. Remus didn't know her name, but she sure looked familiar. What was her name? Melanie... Marla... Melva...

"I am Melinda Jenkins." She announced to the four of them, and sat down.

She didn't ask. She _told_.

James blinked, surprised.

"Can't you read the sign?" he admonished.

Melinda ignored him.

"So... ehm..." Sirius began, addressing Melinda, "I'm Sirius Black."

It took her a minute to realize he was speaking to her. "Oh. Hello, I guess."

Sirius shot her a lopsided smile.

Remus surveyed Melinda. She had straight black hair down to her waist, wore square glasses and had forest-green eyes. _ Very pretty_, he thought, _and apparently Sirius has noticed that too._

The train went over a bump. Melinda's bag fell out of her arms and started to jump around on the floor. Remus was, at first, mildly surprised, but after a few years of living in a magical community, inanimate objects moving about of their own accord is no longer a wondrous sight. Melinda sighed in an irritated manner and stepped on her backpack to keep it still. It twitched feebly.

"Hufflepuffs thought they'd have a go at me." She explained to the awkward silence.

James snorted. "Really? You got bested by a Hufflepuff?"

"Oh, not bested. The minute they fall asleep I'm sneaking into their dorm and setting it loose."

James and Sirius looked at her appraisingly. "You know how to get into the Hufflepuff dorms?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, yes, known since first year. It's not that hard, really."

"Tell us! Tell us!" Peter chirped, bouncing up and down on his seat."

The door to the compartment slammed open once more. Remus flinched and rubbed his ears. They were starting to ring.

Sirius jumped to his feet. "Malfoy."

James groaned and stood up too. "Can _nobody_ read the sign?"

Indeed, it was none other than Lucius Malfoy himself. He wasn't alone. He had two other Slytherins with him. Remus knew the one on the left was named Avery, but he didn't recognize the other.

Lucius surveyed the fiery letters on the door as though they were a particularly interesting flobberworm.

"Black." He purred, sweeping into the compartment, "I hear you have turned into quite the... character... these past few months."

Sirius stood up abruptly and faced him. "My business is none of yours, Malfoy. Go flutter back to that cave where you came from and leave my personal life alone."

"Oh, I've hit a sensitive spot, have I?" Malfoy snickered, then turned cold. "Well, heed this warning, Black. If you refuse to learn to... behave yourself... then you will suffer the consequences."

"What do you think you're going to do to him?" James snarled, jumping in between them, "You'll harm a hair on his head over my dead body."

"Yeah!" Peter chimed from the corner, "What he said!"

The air was changing in the room. Avery and whatshisname were slowly taking out their wands. James and Sirius hadn't noticed yet. They were too busy staring Malfoy down. Remus silently signaled to Peter. Peter glanced at Malfoy's bodyguards and nodded, trembling.

Remus fingered his wand in his pocket. Just a few more seconds.

One... Two... Thre-

Avery pointed his wand at James and there was a bang like a firecracker. Remus was quick with a deflection charm and the spell ricocheted off the wall and hit the lamp, which exploded and burned his face. Lucius hit Sirius in the gut with some sort of hex, and he doubled over in pain. The other Slytherin pointed his wand at James, but was blasted backwards into the hallway by a powerful curse by none other than...

Melina Jenkins.

Sirius, who had fumbled for his wand, performed his signature incendiary curse and Lucious fled from the room screaming, with his hair, unfortunately, intact.

Avery grabbed Peter by the collar and pressed his wand to his forehead. Peter, seemly forgetting his magical powers, jabbed his wand powerfully into Avery's kidneys and kicked him in the groin. Jenkins did a fabulous incarcerous charm and Avery joined his friend on the floor.

James, with broken glasses hanging off his face, fell to his knees and shook Sirius's shoulder.

"Sirius! Are you all right?"

"Aaaah!" Sirius cried out, clutching his stomach.

"Stand back." Melinda ordered and began a complicated wand movement.

"No, I'll do it." Remus grumbled, pushing her away.

"Lupin, get out of here." She snapped.

Remus bristled. Sirius called out again, and Remus lost himself for a minute. Melinda completed the countercurse and pulled Sirius onto the bench. Remus sat down, his head spinning and feeling violated.

"Is he going to be all right?" James asked frantically as he repaired his glasses.

Jenkins expertly felt Sirius's stomach, pushing experimentally to see if he felt any pain. Sirius didn't scream or cringe.

"He'll be fine. No solid foods for six hours." she stated.

James sighed in relief. "Thanks a million, Melinda. You can sit in our compartment any time."

Melinda smiled just a little and wiped the sweat off Sirius's face with a handkerchief.

Remus watched her touching Sirius and felt something shift in his chest. It was like a great gallumping ogre from the deepest depths of his soul was coming out into the world and whacking him again and again on the heart. Remus hadn't really felt jealousy before, and he didn't quite know what it was yet, but he certainly didn't like it. He certainly didn't like her. Or the way Sirius was staring into her eyes.


	3. A Comprehensive Agenda

**Chapter three! Please, R and R and tell me what you _really_ think. Enjoy!**

"All right, so here's the plan." James began, lighting up the tip of his wand and pulling out a piece of parchment. "I have written a comprehensive agenda for this year's pranking."

Remus snorted. "An agenda? You actually wrote an agenda?"

James puffed up. "I did. In fancy lettering, too."

"Do we really need an agenda?" Sirius asked,"We get along fine without one."

"Of course we do. If we do it right, we can accomplish 50% more delinquency than before! Listen up." James straightened his piece of parchment with an air of importance. He recited,

**A Comprehensive Agenda for the Mischief-Making Activities of the Marauder Gang**

_Written by James Potter and the Daniel Webster Thesaurus_

The contents of this paper shall be read aloud between the hours of 12:30 AM and 1:30 AM, to

assist the creation of a devious atmosphere and impede any attempts to twart our dastardly plots.

The participants of this plan are to be said as the following;

Remus 'Moony' Lupin

Sirius 'BHD' Black

Peter 'Mousy' Pettigrew

James 'The Big Cheese' Potter

"Hang on!" Sirius snapped, "I get Moony's nickname, and Peter's too, but what in bloody hell is 'BHD' supposed to stand for?"

James coughed awkwardly. "Eh... Bad Hair Day."

"Hey! My hair is awesome! Right Mousy?"

"Don't call me that!" Peter squeaked.

"Carry on." Remus could hardly keep the look of bemused skepticism off his face.

"Very well."

In the interest of safety and spending a minimal amount of time cleaning trophies in detention,

only two Marauders shall participate in any given prank at a time. The exception to this being,

if said prank requires more hands than two, or if I feel like it.

Plans shall be discussed in advance, and must be debated with all four Marauders present.

To avoid confusion caused by impulsive pranking, all pranks must be disputed at least an

hour before they are put into action. If a prank is deemed too dangerous, it will be put in the

'Pending Pranks' column of the spreadsheet on the right and confabulated at a later date.

All Pending Pranks will be written down at their exact date and time of creation, in order to

better keep track of our delightfully nefarious schemes. Until further notice, the Marauder known

as Remus 'Moony' Lupin shall be in charge of record-keeping and shall be given the official title

of Record Keeper of the Marauder Gang.

In the event of an additional Marauder being initiated, his or her name shall be added to the

list of participants above and will henceforth be considered our flesh and blood for life.

Any inside personage who betrays, rats out, abandons, is unfaithful, blows the whistle, breaks faith,

breaks promises, breaks trust, commits treason, double-crosses, deceives, deludes

or deserts, double-crosses, forsakes, go back on his word, informs against, lets down,

misleads, plays false, sells down the river, sells out, stabs in the back, turns in, walks out on

tattles, squeals, tells on, lets slip, gives away, brings charges, slanders, incriminates, recriminates,

points finger at, frames, holds accountable, smears, cheats, cons, spills the beans, discloses,

divulges, lets out, gives away, prattles, defrauds, deludes, shams, shucks, snows, beguiles

lies, fakes out, feigns, or leads astray any one of the Marauder Members, then he shall

immediately be banished from the Gang.

Remus waited a few seconds before saying anything. "Is that all?" he asked.

James nodded rapidly. "Well? What do you think?"

"I think it's brilliant." said Sirius, "But do we really need all this... orderly nonsense? We've gotten along just fine without it for two years."

"I think it's wonderful." praised Peter.

"Damn right, it's wonderful." James thumped his bedpost.

"I have a question. What's the part about other people joining? Aren't you happy just the four of us?" queried Remus suspiciously.

"Of course I am." James assured him, "But you never know. I mean, that Jenkins girl from Ravenclaw is pretty awesome."

Remus felt his face get hot.

"Well, I don't." he snapped, "I don't want anyone else to join."

James held his palms up. "It's all right, Remus. We're all in this together. If you're not cool with it, then we won't initiate new members."

Remus sat back on his bed and felt his body ease a little.

Sirius was staring at Remus with an odd gaze. "Why don't you like Melinda?" he asked him.

Remus didin't know what to say. It was one of those awkward moments, like when it's family beach day and your crazy Uncle Lewis shows up in a _very_ tight speedo.

"Ehm... Well, I guess I just don't. Kind of like how you don't like pistachios, Msr. Bad Hair Day."

"That's it!" Sirius punched his pillow, "I need a better nickname!"

"Okay, I'll think of one." James stared long and hard at Sirius. "How about... _The Black Shadow_."

Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed. "It's a start, I guess."

Remus shook his head bemusedly. _"Nox_." he muttered and pulled the curtains around his bed. He sighed deeply and sniffed the clean coverings on his bed. He listened to his companions rustling around as they snuggled into their pillows for the night. Briefly, before he fell asleep, he wondered why he felt so sad.


End file.
